1. Shaun Pour

2.  Born 849 A.D.
 Had several brothers
and sisters
 Was not in line for the
throne
 All but one of his
brothers died childless
 The last of his brothers
had 2 children but they
were both children and
it was a time of war
 Defeated the Vikings at
the Battle of Edington

3.  Consisted of most of
the southern coast of
England
 Only Anglo-Saxon
Kingdom not
conquered by the
Vikings

4.  Welsh Priest who
served in Alfred’s
court
 Views Alfred’s victory
over the vikings as
“the will of God”

5.  Claims Alfred won
because his men were
more determined
 Does not support
Asser’s “will of God”
argument despite
using him as a source

6.  Discusses how the
Vikings would
constantly make
agreements and then
violate them
 Alfred was forced to
flee his kingdom after a
surprise attack
 Speculates about the
reasons why Alfred
kept his people’s loyalty

7.  Alfred’s victory was
due to a combination
of factors
 Utilization of Guerilla
Warfare
 Learned from past
mistakes in fighting
the vikings

8.  Discussed the start of
the Viking raids in
England and how
they increased in
frequency.
 Alfred’s victory was
because he
confiscated land from
the church to give to
his subjects

9.  Discusses various
pieces of archaeologic
evidence about the
Vikings
 Alfred’s victory
believed to be because
of an internal dispute
within Viking ranks.

10.  A mixture of victory and defeat
 Loss of troops and morale forced Alfred to sue
for peace in May 871.
 The Vikings broke their word and resumed the
war in 876.
 A surprise attack by the Vikings on Alfred’s
residence forced him to flee to the marshes of
Somerset.

11.  Rallied his troops and
led a successful
guerilla movement
against the Vikings.
 Won a decisive
victory against the
Vikings at Edington,
forcing them to cede
territory and their
leader to convert to
Christianity.

12.  Alfred built forts called Burhs all across Wessex
in order to halt the Vikings attempted raids
and any future invasions.
 Reorganized the army – half the army on active
duty and half at home to farm.
 Confiscated land from the church to give to
nobles in exchange for loyalty and to build his
Burhs and other defenses.

14.  Asser’s History of King Alfred
 Alfred the Great – A King and His England
(Duckett)
 Alfred the Great Strikes Back (Carr)
 Monastic Lands and England’s Defense
(Fleming)
 King Alfred the Great (Smyth)
 The Northern Conquest – Vikings in Britain
and Ireland (Holman)